According to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, certain Iranian officials have pushed for the WhatsApp ban since the company was bought Facebook in February. Those officials oppose Facebook -- and now WhatsApp -- because they're run by the "American Zionist" Zuckerberg.

"The reason for this is the adoption of WhatsApp by the Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who is an American Zionist," secretary of the Committee for Determining Criminal Web Content Abdolsamad Khorramabadi said, according to Haaretz.

While certain officials and censors back the ban, the Iranian government -- which has become more moderate since the election of President Hassan Rouhani -- has criticized the move. In a tweet on Iran's public-facing Twitter account, Communications Minister Mahmoud Mehr said "Government of #Prudence & #Hope fully opposed to filtering of WhatsApp."

Additionally, Haaretz reports that Mehr also announced, "The government is completely against the ban on WhatsApp."

Since taking office last year, Rouhani has tried to cast himself as a more tech savvy and politically open leader. Recently, there have been several signs that he might be opening up social media and the Internet in Iran. Rouhani even encouraged his staff and ministers to join Facebook last September in a government-only endeavor called government-as-Facebook Friends.

While Rouhani has made some strides toward a more open Internet for Iranians, it appears the censor's ban of WhatsApp is a step back toward more restriction.

When contacted by CNET, Facebook declined to comment. We also contacted WhatsApp for comment and will update this report when we get more information.